


From Deep Within

by Casey_May



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Minor Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, My First AO3 Post, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-27 04:03:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21385783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Casey_May/pseuds/Casey_May
Summary: Percy is, once again, in trouble. It seems to follow him around wherever he goes. He thought the incident with the volcano was bad, but this was much worse. For fear of hurting the ones he loves further, he takes off. Unfortunately, it appears that he has drawn the interest of some mortal heroes. When he can't keep running anymore he thinks that he's done for, but maybe these people aren't so bad after all?(Warning: This is set after Blood of Olympus and before Infinity War; Infinity War themes will not be present in this fic, but Blood of Olympus themes will. There are references made to specific parts of the PJO series, but not elaborated upon.)
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 27
Kudos: 237





	1. Who Are These People?

**Hello all! This is my first ever work on AO3 and I am so excited to share it with you! This is completely unbeta'd and any mistakes you may find are completely my own. That being said, if something you read doesn't make sense please feel free to comment and I will clear that up as well as I can (however some things are left mysterious for a reason).**

Percy ran swiftly through the forest, keeping his head low to avoid being seen above the tall grass. He had been on the run for six months now, but this was the closest he had ever come to being caught. He was growing tired; he hadn’t gotten a decent night’s rest since he left the safe house three weeks ago. These people were relentless, chasing him constantly and seeming to have an endless supply of energy. He didn’t know how they had found him; he was so sure that he had covered his tracks completely, which had lulled him into a sense of security that he learned to be false.

Percy stumbled, distracted by his thoughts. It was the opening they had been waiting for these past months. Without a moment of hesitation, they lunged to grab him, four against one. Percy grunted as a male in a red, full-body suit grabbed his left arm. Judging by the slight build Percy guessed he couldn’t be more than twenty, if not even younger. A woman with fiery red hair and a form-fitting black stealth suit pointed a gun at his forehead just as a man with a similar outfit grabbed Percy’s other arm before he could react. Finally, a man in a suit of metal hovered behind the woman, a high pitched whirring sound coming from his raised hands as they started to glow.

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll give up, now.” Said the man to Percy’s right, a bow strapped to his back. Percy hung his head, his breathing labored. Hopefully, this wouldn’t be like the last time he was captured.

~1 Year Earlier~

Percy threw his head back as he laughed at the shocked look on Annabeth’s face. She had been trying to get some flour into a mixing bowl when it all plopped out at once, sending a huge white cloud into the air. The flour settled all over her torso and jeans, leaving her looking like a ghost. Percy couldn’t stop laughing, he had finally found something that his Wise Girl hadn’t done before and was excited to teach her how to bake but now… now he wasn’t so sure that had been a good idea. Annabeth scowled, the now empty bag hanging in her hand. She flung it at Percy in disgust, him unable to stop laughing long enough to deflect the projectile.

“Percy! Stop. Laughing!” Annabeth growled, her eyes burning in fury.

“But… Wise Girl… your face!” Percy howled with laughter again, unable to contain himself. Annabeth crossed her arms, her lips tilting up a little. She fought a long and hard battle, but lost and ended up chuckling softly as well.

“Percy… please help me clean this up…” Annabeth requested after composing herself again. Percy hummed in agreement, wiping the tears from his eyes. He grinned dorkishly at her, then proceeded to grab a rag and get it wet. He handed it to Annabeth then repeated the process for himself. They worked together in comfortable silence, smiles on both of their faces. Annabeth may not have a natural inclination for baking, but that was okay because she was the only person in the world that could make Percy feel this way.

~Present Day~

Percy woke with a startled gasp, blinking away spots from his vision. The light shining above him was bright, and he covered his face with his arm. It took him a minute, but he eventually realized that he had no idea where he was. He jolted up with the realization, looking around from his sitting position. He took in his surroundings, his eyebrows furrowed when he realized he was on a bed in what appeared to be a hospital room.

“Well… I’ve woken up in worse situations…” he muttered quietly, removing the needle from his hand with a squeamish frown. He hated needles, but better to get it out then leave it in. He checked his body over, making sure that he was uninjured. When he finished his assessment, he nodded to himself in satisfaction. Nothing was majorly damaged, so that was good. He huffed and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, mentally preparing himself to stand.

“Stop right there, Mr. Jackson. You’re only going to cause yourself more pain.” A male voice says, causing Percy’s head to snap toward the sound. A man had entered the room without him noticing, a testament to just how exhausted Percy was. Percy froze, analyzing the man. He was skinny, decently tall, and not very threatening. He looked about as tired as Percy felt, making Percy feel a twinge of empathy for the man.

“I’m sorry… do I know you?” Percy asked, furrowing his brows at the familiarity of the man’s face. Something about him made Percy think of Annabeth, but he couldn’t figure out why. The man shrugged, walking further into the room.

“I don’t know, but I do know that you should be laying down. I also know that you should have left that IV in your hand, but I’ll just have to put it back in now. Could you please lay down?” The man speaks, not pausing to see what Percy’s response would be, reaching out to gently guide Percy into a lying position. The second the man’s hand touched Percy’s shoulder, Percy sprang into action, using a modified version of a judo flip to switch positions with the man, wincing a little in pain. The man yells in surprise, blinking quickly and breathing harshly, but Percy doesn’t stay long enough to see his skin start to change color.

Before the man can get himself under control enough to call for help, Percy is already out the door. He books it down the hall and turns right, following a trail only he can see. It’s a vapor trail, one he had subconsciously left as he was brought in here. He must’ve been knocked out before they brought him in because he doesn’t remember leaving the forest. He turns again, passing by an unsuspecting woman in a white lab coat. She yelps in surprise and quickly moves out of the way. Percy shudders at the sight of the lab coat. The last thing he wants to think about is scientists right now.

Two turns and a long hallway leading to a heavy door later, Percy was out in the fresh air once again. He glanced back to see if anyone was following him, then faced forward when he realized no one was yet. He screeched to a sudden halt, windmilling his arms to avoid falling off the edge of the… ship?! Not just any ship, though, it had to be a flying ship! Percy yelled, falling forward despite his best attempt to avoid that, he threw his arms in front of his face and gave in to the fall. Hopefully, Zeus would forgive him for entering his territory. Suddenly, he jerked to a stop.

“Jeez, kid, if you’re that afraid of needles all you had to do was say something, not go jumping off the ship!” The man from before shouted, pulling Percy back onto the solid surface of the ship. Percy shuddered, thinking about what almost happened, then promptly passed out.


	2. Trouble In the Air

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Marvel or Percy Jackson! I am not Stan Lee (may he rest in peace) or Uncle Rick nor do I claim in any way to be. The non-canonical ideas within this fic have been developed by myself only, so they belong to me. 
> 
> This chapter contains approximately 1200 words, which I will try to achieve as a minimum per chapter.

When Percy woke again, he was strapped to the same bed as before with an oxygen mask over his face. He blinked groggily, breathing heavily. His body hadn’t appreciated his previous stunt in its already exhausted state and was retaliating violently. Percy groaned softly, squeezing his eyes shut in an attempt to keep the light away from his sensitive eyes. He could feel the pounding headache that was coming, and he did not want to aggravate it anymore. Percy could hear quiet murmurs from somewhere in the room, but it was too difficult to make out who was talking or what they were saying. He struggled to stay alert but eventually gave in to the welcoming darkness due to his severe exhaustion. He fell asleep before he could notice the man watching him from the corner of the room, a look of concern etched into his features.

While Percy slept, Dr. Banner spoke quietly with Steve Rogers.

“What do you mean he tried to jump off the ship?” Steve whisper-shouted, glancing incredulously at the young man strapped to the gurney near the wall. Banner shrugged with a perplexed look on his face.

“I mean, the kid acted like he was trying to preserve himself but then when he got to the edge of the ship it was like he just… gave up. Who is he, anyway? Why did you guys bring him here?” Banner explained, then directed his question both at Steve and Tony, who was sitting in the corner.

“Wanda had a weird dream and he was in it. She said it was weird since she doesn’t see the future, it was almost like someone had forced her to read their thoughts. She wouldn’t say anything about the rest of the dream, only that the kid needed to be brought in.” Tony explained, shrugging after. Banner’s brows drew in, his glasses slipping down his nose a little. Steve also shrugged, looking a little uncomfortable with all this talk of ‘seeing the future’. He believed that anyone claiming to see the future was either on drugs, possessed, or a hoax. However, he had still gone with the plan, to some extent.

“Wait, let me get this straight, Wanda had a dream and so you all chased this kid around the world for six months?!” Banner spoke, disbelief evident in his strained voice. Tony shrugged again, but Steve rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Steve wouldn’t meet Banner’s eyes, he seemed to be second-guessing the whole operation. Banner sighed, dragging a hand down his face and unseating his glasses. He held them loosely, fiddling with them to distract himself from the conflicting emotions raging within him.

“I mean, seriously, Doc, we’ve done more for less,” Tony muttered, tilting his head as if he didn’t understand what all the fuss was about. Banner sighed exasperatedly, shaking his head. Steve had found a very interesting spot on the floor and anchored his gaze there.

“Even so, Tony, this kid is barely even legal not to mention all the scarring all over his body. I think you seriously messed up here, this isn’t a game.” Banner said scathingly, trying to make Tony see reason. Steve flinched; his face pinched up in what Banner assumed to be guilt. Tony merely frowned, still looking mostly unconcerned by his actions. Banner huffed, putting his glasses back on and turning away from his two teammates. Sometimes, he would really love to just let the Other Guy take over and bash their skulls in, but then what kind of peacemaker would he be?

Tony may have looked unconcerned, but on the inside, he was seething. He may not get along with Wanda well, but even he believed her after seeing her face. She was telling the truth, and it had clearly been haunting her for a while. He, for one, believed his teammate, especially after seeing the condition this kid was in. He thought it was unfair of Banner, and now Steve, to be doubting her. She had been part of the team long enough to prove her trustworthiness, so why couldn’t they just have faith in her? Tony sighed, he was one to talk, after all, he only came around to the idea because it intrigued him. Now, though, he seriously trusted what Wanda had said, and he wanted them to as well. Maybe this kid needed them and someone was trying to help him by leading the team to him.

Steve bit his lip, he wanted to trust Wanda, he did, but… what Banner was saying made sense. Plus, it was more in line with what Steve wanted to believe, anyway. Steve winced at that thought, it was harsh. However, it was true. Sometimes the truth is harsh and sharp. He glanced at Banner’s back, seeing how tense he was. Steve wouldn’t blame the guy if he were to just let the Hulk have a go at him and Tony right now, honestly. Steve frowned deeper, hopefully, that wouldn’t happen, though. The last thing they needed right now was a repeat of that time they captured Loki. Steve glanced once more at the sleeping boy strapped to the gurney. Steve was genuinely impressed by him, the kid had lead them on for half a year before they finally caught up! However, it looked like all that time running was seriously taking a toll on the kid.

Banner huffed again, then took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. He couldn’t believe his teammates and their immature and rash decision-making sometimes. Before Banner could take that thought any further, the monitor that was hooked up to the kid started beeping erratically. Banner whipped around and was beside the kid in just a few seconds. Tony stood up and Steve finally lifted his gaze.

“What’s going on, Doc?” Tony asked, all business and ready to assist.

“His heartbeat is off and he’s still not getting enough oxygen, there’s got to be something wrong internally.” Banner observed, checking the readouts on the monitors stationed next to Percy’s head. Tony frowned in concern; his expression mirrored by Steve, both the men were thinking about the physical abuse this kid had suffered over the past six months.

“What’s the plan?” Tony asked, already rolling his sleeves up to help. Banner shook his head, checking Percy’s temperature and pulse manually to make sure there wasn’t an error with the equipment. He knew it wasn’t very probable, but he had to be sure.

“We might have to get some scans, so far he isn’t too unstable, so now is the best time. I suspect his lungs are failing, but I’m not sure why.” Banner explained his thought process, already unlocking the wheels on the gurney. Tony nodded, then glanced towards Steve.

“Cap, why don’t you get the doors for us? We’re headed to the lab.” Tony requested, snapping Steve out of his head. With a nod, he began to lead the way, Tony and Banner quick on his heels while wheeling the gurney steadily. Banner thought about the marks he had seen on this kid. Only a few seemed new, and they weren’t critical, everything else looked old. The kid didn’t have any bruising to give away signs of internal damage, what was going on? Banner shook his head, he had to keep his cool, now was not the time to be freaking out. He had to make sure this kid got off this heli-carrier alive, even if he was headed to jail, Banner would not let him die.


	3. A Sneaky Spider and Nervous Doctor

Natasha was walking down the hall, minding her own business when the sound of wheels moving quickly made her pause. Where was the sound coming from? What was it? She narrowed her eyes and quietly rounded a corner, seeing the tail end of Tony entering the lab section of the med-bay in a hurry. Natasha frowned, her brows furrowing in mild concern. What had that crazy man gotten himself into this time? She was curious, and a spy, so she decided to indulge herself and get some more training in.

When Natasha got into the vents, she wasn’t surprised to see wrappers from various candy bars and snacks. She rolled her eyes; for a spy, Clint sure could be messy. Must be a male thing, she mused, then brushed the wrappers off to the side so she could get by. It didn’t surprise her that he had already accumulated so many wrappers, even though they had only been on the heli-carrier for a week now, he had a really big sweet tooth. Without Laura here to watch him like a hawk, pun intended, he would go crazy on the sweets. Natasha smirked at the thought, maybe Laura would find out about her husband’s antics… just maybe.

Finished with her short and quiet journey, Natasha roused herself from her thoughts to focus on what was happening below her. It was a little difficult to get a clear picture from behind the grate, but she would take what she could get. She paused when she saw Banner with Tony as well, what were those two science nerds up to? They seemed to be getting a big piece of machinery turned on, but she didn’t remember what that particular thing was… something to do with scans. She frowned, who were they scanning? She looked around the room with a critical eye and noticed something just on the edge of her field of vision. She adjusted a little to improve her view and her eyebrows shot up when she saw that kid that they had brought in. 

“Tony, we need to hurry. I don’t want to risk his vitals changing before we can figure out what the problem is.” Bruce said, biting his lip a little.

“Working as fast as I can, big guy,” Tony muttered back, typing furiously away at some monitors positioned behind a partition. Bruce simply nodded, pacing back and forth a little, apparently with nothing else to do. Natasha observed all of this with tight lips and a raised eyebrow. Something was wrong with the boy, and it appeared that the two science men below her were trying to figure out exactly what that was. Suddenly, Steve rounded the edge of the bed, apparently, he had been on the end that Natasha couldn’t see. Her eyebrows went up even further, what was his role in this?

“Bruce, his breathing changed, is he going to be alright?” Steve asked, his brow creased in worry. Natasha smiled internally; Steve didn’t even know this kid, yet he was still concerned for the boy’s well-being. Bruce gritted his teeth and quickly stepped over to investigate the change Steve had mentioned.

“I’m not sure, if he doesn’t stay stable then we can’t run the scans without putting him under. There are risks to that, though, since I have no idea how he will react to the anesthesia or if it will even work. I’m a little out of my depth here, to be honest.” Bruce admitted, worrying his lip between his teeth again. Steve took a calming breath then nodded, his demeanor shifting to the leader that the whole team knew and respected.

“Don’t worry, Dr. Banner, you will find a solution and he will be just fine,” Steve assured, his tone and stature confident. His voice was firm yet understanding, spoken like a true leader with absolute faith in his team. Bruce also took a deep breath, then smiled wanly at Steve before nodding. He turned back to the boy, his patient, and completed his assessment.

“Aha!” Tony yelled excitement in his tone and his fist pumped into the air victoriously.

“It’s all ready to go, Doc! Let me know when you’re ready. Also, make sure there’s no metal on him, that would be bad.” Tony explained his sudden joy, then became serious once again. Their goal was to help this boy, not cause more harm. Bruce nodded then turned back to their patient, checking carefully for any metal. He found a simple ballpoint pen and set that on the desk near Tony behind the partition before wheeling the gurney over to the machine. Without a word, Steve gently picked the boy up and placed him on the machine. Bruce nodded his gratitude and positioned him as needed before leading Steve behind the partition as well.

Tony cracked his knuckles and flexed his hands over the keyboard before pressing a single key to start the running sequence. All three men and Natasha watched with bated breaths as the machine drew the boy in to begin scanning, it was a torturously slow process. When the boy had been fully drawn in, the machine started making a really loud noise that almost sounded like a mix between growling and a jackhammer. This was it, hopefully, it would give them the results they needed.

Unfortunately, Natasha soon realized the whole process was going to be torturously slow. According to Tony, after Cap had asked for an estimated amount of time this would take, it could be “anywhere from 1-3 hours”, but Natasha was not planning on going anywhere until she could verify the boy was back in his room. Sure, the men could handle themselves should anything happen, but Natasha was a surprise element that no one was expecting. In her experience, surprise back up was very helpful when fighting.

That being said, Natasha really had to use the restroom. Sure, she could hold it, but there was a perfectly good bathroom just across the hall from where she was. She glanced at her watch, it had only been thirty minutes. She shrugged, she had time to go and be back before they were done with these scans. She quietly maneuvered her way out of the vents and back into the hallway, being sure to secure the vent cover exactly as she had originally found it, then made her way to the bathroom.

Back in the lab, Tony was sitting in an office chair fidgeting with his glasses, they were a prototype he was working on with an integrated A.I. he had dubbed ‘Edith’. Bruce was sitting at the desk in a similar chair watching the boy’s vitals diligently. If anything changed drastically, he wanted to shut down the whole process without a moment of hesitation. Steve was sitting in a hard chair in the corner, dozing. Bruce quietly admired the man’s ability to take power naps in almost any kind of situation, it must be a military thing. All three men were pretty bored, but they were secretly grateful for their boredom. Being bored meant that nothing was trying to kill them at the moment, something they had all come to appreciate. They sat like that, almost peaceful in a way, waiting for something to happen. Unfortunately, they didn’t have to wait long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, everyone! As I stated when I first began posting this work, I will be doing my best to upload within 2-3 weeks of the last post depending on how my schedule plays out. I greatly appreciate any feedback you may have, just as long as it is respectful and kind! Any feedback that doesn't fit this criterion will be deleted. Enjoy the holidays!


	4. Mistakes Were Made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter we meet some characters from the HOO series, so if you haven't read that series yet you may be confused. However, there are not many spoilers from that series within this work. Of course, there will be some, so here is your SPOILER ALERT.

Somehow, somewhere, something was stirring. A thought, perhaps, a dream? Nay, not a dream… a vision? A boy, frightened and alone, tears streaming down his face. Darkness, cold, a void. Something and yet nothing, no sound, no air. Choking, choking, falling, gasping, flailing… lifeless eyes, the end is nigh…

Nico DiAngelo jerked awake with a gasp and a choked off scream. What kind of dream was that?! With all his experience in dream-walking, he had never experienced anything quite so disturbing as that. He placed one hand over his chest and the other at his head, trying to calm himself and breath. He took a shaky breath, his heart beating in an almost Tachycardiac rhythm, he was sure that he would die. 

“Nico, you okay?” Hazel asked worriedly from outside his room. They had gotten an apartment in California after the war with Gaea, both had decided they needed a space for themselves. Of course, Hazel was Praetor so she couldn’t be gone from the Legion for long, but she liked having a home to return to at the end of the week. Frank missed her terribly, but after a harsh glare and a few words from Nico he reluctantly agreed. Nico smirked a little at the thought, then took a deep and calming breath. 

“Yeah, Haze, I’m alright. Just another dream.” Nico replied to his sister, he could hear her quiet sigh of relief from the other side of the door.

“Oh good, breakfast is almost ready so when you’re up you can come and grab some.” Hazel replied, her voice less strained than before. Nico hummed in reply, his stomach rumbling. Hazel had been good to him since they had moved in together, she made sure that he ate frequently enough and that he was getting to bed on time. They didn’t exactly have a normal sibling bond, but they made it work.

Nico sighed and got out of his comfy bed, silently mourning the loss of warmth. He stretched upwards, leaning back and relishing in the cracking of his spine. His shoulders added their own sounds to the symphony, and he slumped forward again with a relaxed smile on his face. Nico had taken large strides toward becoming happier and healthier since he had moved in with Hazel, she was very convincing when she wanted to be. Now, he was a much more relaxed and happier person.

After getting dressed in his favorite pair of black skinny jeans and a navy-blue shirt he trudged out to the dining area of their apartment where Hazel was sitting with a mug of coffee. He smiled warmly at the sight of his mug sitting across the table from her as well as a plate of food. He gently wrapped his left arm around Hazel in a half-hug then walked around the table to his seat. Hazel smiled brightly at him, her mouth wide and her white teeth showing.

“So, what do you have planned for today?” Hazel asked Nico curiously, her head tilted only slightly to the left with her chin jutted out. Nico shrugged, swallowing the bite of toast he had just taken.

“Nothing really, I was thinking about heading back to Camp HB to see how the remodeling is going, but that was just a tentative plan. Did you want to do something?” Nico asked, raising his head so he could meet her eyes. Hazel shrugged, looking off to the side with her eyebrows pinched together in thought. Nico frowned slightly; Hazel wasn’t usually like this.

“Haze… is something wrong?” Nico asked, putting his toast down and leaning forward attentively.

“I… I heard from Annabeth yesterday… she said, she said Percy hasn’t been heard from for two months now.” Hazel said quietly, still not meeting Nico’s gaze. Nico’s eyebrows shot up in surprise and his mouth fell open. 

“What?! And she’s just now saying something?! She knows that they’ve been after him for six months and he suddenly loses contact and she doesn’t say anything for TWO MONTHS?!?” Nico shouts, his face flushed in anger and his hands curled tightly into fists on the table. He grits his teeth and closes his eyes firmly, not wanting to think about what could have happened to his best friend. Hazel closed her eyes as well, her lip quivering.

“She said that last time he let her know it wasn’t possible for him to reach out, so she was waiting for him to make contact again, but now she’s really worried.” Hazel whispered, a tear falling down her cheek. Nico groaned, then took a deep breath and uncurled his fists.

“It’s not your fault, Haze, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that.” Nico murmured, getting up and walking around the table to take his sister into his arms. Hazel gripped his shirt tightly and laid her face into the junction of his shoulder and neck. Nico winced as he felt the tears falling from her eyes as her shoulders shook. He knew she wasn’t crying because of him, but he couldn’t help feeling very guilty. Nico glanced out the nearest window, searching desperately.

‘Percy… where are you?’

~Line Break~

Percy was floating, or falling, he couldn’t be sure. It seemed like time was fluid, his favorite state of matter. He couldn’t control what was happening to him, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care too much. He had been on the run from the government for half a year now, and it was getting to him. If he hadn’t been caught off guard at the beginning, he would have been much better off, but the Fates didn’t like him that much. After all, they had enjoyed tormenting him since he was born.

Percy tried to fight this feeling, whatever it was, but it just intensified. He struggled, not sure how to defeat it. He gritted his teeth, but even that felt wrong like his mouth was made of cotton candy; wispy and intangible. He yelled, thrashing his arms, kicking his legs, anything to make him feel human again. Suddenly, he could feel the solidity and heaviness of his own limbs and snapped his eyes open with a gasp. What he saw was something out of his worst nightmare. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move, everything was too close. It brought his mind back to Alaska, to the quest with Frank and Hazel; the son of the sea god was drowning.

A scream made Dr. Banner’s head snap up from where they were facing the monitors. His face paled as realization dawned on him. The kid was awake, with no idea where he was or what was going on. If Banner’s suspicions of this kid having experienced some trauma then he would bet money on this kid having some serious PTSD.

“Tony, shut it down!” Banner commanded, his voice strong. He hastily stood from his chair, pushing it back into Steve who had just woken at the sound of the scream. Tony scrambled to do as the doctor told him, fingers flying across the keyboard and eyes scanning the various screens frantically. Dr. Banner made his way over to the door and waited impatiently for Tony’s signal that it was ok to exit their safe zone. Meanwhile, the kid screamed again, louder and longer this time.

After what seemed like years, Tony finally nodded to Banner, and he exited the room with Steve hot on his tail. Banner made his way to the machine where Percy was, watching as the machine opened, sliding the kid out on the portion where he laid. Banner could see right away that something was seriously wrong. He didn’t have long to process this observation as the kid clambered off the machine and flew into fight mode. If Steve hadn’t followed Banner out of the room, Banner would most certainly have been in the chokehold that Percy held Steve in.

“This… is not good.” Tony muttered, getting up quickly and leaving the room as well to aid Steve and get Banner away from the situation. Unfortunately, he was instantly categorized as a threat and treated as such. Tony never even saw the kid move before he was pinned to the wall with Steve lying on the floor, dazed. Tony’s eyes widened and met the half-crazed gaze of the kid, he had never felt so unprepared in his life, and it scared him. This was a big mistake.


	5. The Awakening

Natasha hummed softly to herself, a little lullaby that she would sing to Clint’s kids when she visited them. She smiled slightly at the thought, leisurely walking back to the lab. She sighed, maybe she would consider taking some time off to hang out more with Clint’s little family. They did enjoy having her around, after all. Taking a deep breath to center herself again, she strode toward the lab with more purpose. The time for daydreaming was over, she had to make sure the men didn’t do anything stupid.

Unfortunately, Natasha mused, it appeared that the men had succeeded in doing exactly what she wanted them to avoid. She quickly took stock of the room, noticing Steve down on the ground, Banner standing behind the machine, Tony pinned against the nearest wall by his throat. The kid that they had brought in appeared to have been rejuvenated, had he let himself be caught? Natasha frowned, that was an awful thought that she did not want to dwell on at the moment.

Natasha crept along the opposite wall, behind the back of the kid, trying to reach Banner. She needed to get him out of here, for the safety of all of them. She moved quickly but carefully, using her skills that had been honed by years of experience and training. Tony was grasping at the kid’s hands, trying to loosen his grip. Tony’s face was beginning to turn a deep shade of red, the lack of oxygen making his eyes bulge slightly. Natasha tried to smile reassuringly at Tony, but he didn’t seem to notice her.

Natasha breathed evenly, keeping her body relaxed but alert. The trick to sneaking was to blend in with the surroundings, not providing any type of contrast to the natural way of things. Her breathing calm, body fluid, she made her way toward Banner. Banner was huddled behind the machine, doing his best to control his breathing and keep himself calm. He didn’t notice Natasha as she worked her way slowly toward him. Natasha hissed some breath through her teeth quietly, trying to get Banner’s attention.

Banner slowly looked up, his irises shifting back and forth between a bright green and his normal hazel. His pupils were dilated slightly, giving him a manic look. Natasha paused, waiting for him to recognize her as a friend and not a threat. Finally, after what had felt like minutes they didn’t have, Banner’s pupils shrank back to normal and his irises settled on hazel. Natasha nodded slowly but assuredly, then carefully kept going toward him.

Unfortunately, her approach did not go unnoticed. Although Tony was trying his best to stay conscious, he was losing the battle due to a lack of consciousness. His right arm fell with a slight sparkle coming from his silver bracelet, his eyes fluttering and his mouth gaping wide. The kid smirked slightly and tossed Tony aside without a second glance—that was his first mistake. He whirled around toward Natasha, his second mistake, taking a menacing step toward her and Banner, but that was as far as he got. A high-pitched whirring sound caught his attention and he turned to face the source, his third mistake. With an even higher-pitched squeal, the bright blue energy beam released from the palm of an iron suit, hitting the kid squarely in the chest.

Percy flew back from the force, getting launched past Natasha and Banner into the wall. He grunted, then slid down the wall into a sitting position. He took a short breath, a huge burn mark on his chest, and winced. Percy went to get up but was quickly stopped by a gun to his head, courtesy of Natasha. He huffed and sat back down, raising his hands slowly next to his head, wincing at the pull on his skin.

“Well, kid, I gotta say, I’m impressed,” Tony says, his voice coming clearly through the suit. Percy’s eyes widen in surprise as he glances over to where he had thrown Tony only moments ago, finding the place empty. He slides his gaze back over to Tony, eyeing the man with a newfound interest.

“Yeah, well, impressed or not, you could’ve killed him, Tony!” Steve interjects, having regained consciousness. He carefully stands, rubbing a hand through his hair. He scowls at Tony and turns his gaze on Percy, watching him warily.

“Well, y’ know, it’s not like he wasn’t about to do the same thing to all of us, Steve.” Tony bites back, sounding irritated. Percy could almost sense the eye roll coming from behind the mask of the suit. The corners of his mouth tilted up slightly, betraying his amusement for the team to see. Natasha notices the slight change on the teen’s face and her eyes narrow. She doesn’t like the vibe she’s getting from this boy.

Banner takes a few deep breaths to calm his racing heart, keeping the ‘Other Guy’ at bay… for now. He carefully treads around Natasha, keeping her between the kid and himself, making his way toward Steve and Tony. Percy watches the man intently, wondering why the redhead, Natasha, seemed so tense when he had moved.

“You guys alright?” Banner asks softly, his hands shaking slightly from the effort of keeping the Other Guy from making an entrance. Steve nods, removing his hand from his head, and gives Banner a small smile in reassurance. Tony merely shrugs, his face still turned toward the boy with his hand lifted in a firing position. Nobody was taking any chances after what they had seen this kid do.

“Look, kid, we don’t want to hurt you, alright? We just have a couple of questions for you.” Steve says, cautious with his words and body language. The last thing he wanted was for this kid to go berserk again.

“First off, quit calling me kid. Second, when you have a question for someone, you generally don’t start by terrorizing them and chasing them across multiple continents. Third, if you just wanted to ask me questions, what the ha-heck was I doing in that metal contraption?!” Percy shot back, his eyes swirling with anger, seeming to darken. Natasha’s eyebrow rose, her gun still trained steadily at the kid’s temple, the eye trick was interesting, but she figured it was just the lighting. Tony huffed behind his mask, his left-hand curling into a fist at his side. This kid was grating on his nerves.

“If we can’t call you kid, then what should we call you?” Banner chimes in, standing behind Steve and Tony in the shadows. Percy’s lips twitch, his eyebrows furrowing.

“You can call me by my name since you already know it.” Percy retorted, his eyes narrowing.

“Very well, Perseus, the reason you were in “that metal contraption” was that you were very unstable physically and I was trying to determine if there was some internal or underlying cause for that.” Banner replied, missing Percy’s eye twitch at the use of his full name.

“Hmph. There’s always some sort of underlying cause for anything that happens to me.” Percy mutters, not bothering to correct the man on his name. His eyes shift to watch Natasha, curious as to her position on this hodgepodge of a team. Natasha met his gaze evenly, staring him down. Percy smiled cheekily at her, unaffected by her harsh glare. Natasha’s face shifted slightly, Percy’s reaction had surprised her, but she quickly recovered.

“Well, now that we’ve gotten the introductions out of the way, let’s get you looked at, hm?” Banner asks but remains unmoving from behind Steve and Tony.

“Thanks, but I’ll pass. How about you guys just let me go and we can pretend this never happened, hm?” Percy replied sardonically, throwing the men another cheeky smile.

“My apologies, Mr. Jackson, but I’m afraid that will not be possible.” A new voice states firmly, coming from the door, making everyone’s head turn to look. Percy’s eyes widen drastically in surprise.

“Nick?!”


	6. Connect The Dots

Natasha’s head whips back to face Percy, her eyes widening slightly in surprise. This kid knew Fury well enough to call him by his first name?! What was the connection? Was that how he had learned to fight so well?  
Fury, unbelievably, cracks a smile. The team blinks in surprise, Steve even pinches himself discreetly to make sure this wasn’t just some crazy nightmare. He winces slightly in pain, this was real.  
“Perce, when I first met you, I knew you were a troublemaker, but even this is a bit extreme for you.” Fury comments, his smile fading and his eyebrow going up in disapproval.  
“In my defense, I didn’t start this. They chased me halfway across the world for no reason!” Percy replied, his voice serious. Fury directed his disapproving eyebrow toward Natasha since she was closest in his line of sight and the one he had deemed sane, perhaps he had been wrong. Natasha shrugged, her gaze shifting toward Tony.  
“Mr. Stark, mind explaining why you have a barely legal adult within your custody?” Fury questions, his voice stern, and threatening.  
“Um, well, you see, that is a very good question that requires a very long explanation that I don’t want to go into. Just know that I have good reasons, lots of them.” Tony replies, lowering his arm to wave his arms as he is talking.  
Fury sighs then nods at Natasha. She nods back, then re-holsters her gun and steps away from Percy.  
“Neat trick, you should teach me some time,” Percy comments wryly, his lips forming a thin smile. Natasha frowns slightly, raging internally. She wants nothing more than to pummel this kid into the ground. Percy takes a quick breath, then slowly eases his way up from the ground. First, he gathers his feet underneath him in a kneeling position, then he places his hands on the ground to use his arms to aid his rise.  
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Banner comments still stationed behind Steve and Tony. All eyes are on Percy, watching as he painfully forces himself to stand. He smirks at the Doctor’s words but pays them no mind. Finally, he’s standing in a slightly hunched way. He takes a shallow breath to steady himself then straightens up fully. Fury watches him with a hint of concern in his eyes, worried for Percy’s health.  
“Relax, Nick, I’m not gonna keel over and die yet. You’re almost as bad as Chiron.” Percy says, pushing a false sense of ease into his tone to try and make Fury stop looking at him like that. Banner raises an eyebrow, he was almost positive that Percy would keel over any second due to the wounds he had obtained on top of the ones he’d already had.  
“Whatever you say, Perce. I think you might be wrong.” A voice says from above them all. The team looks up to see Peter hanging upside down from the ceiling. Percy’s face softens upon seeing the spider, a genuine smile breaking onto his face.  
“Well if it isn’t the neighborhood friendly Spiderman. How you been, Pete? How’s May?” Percy asks, ignoring Peter’s comment. Peter huffs and lowers himself down next to Percy, then gently hugs him.  
“She’s good, a whole lot better than you are,” Peter comments, noticing the wince Percy hadn’t been able to contain at the light amount of contact.  
“I wish you had all decided to inform me of your stupid decision to chase Percy Jackson around the world, we could’ve avoided all the injuries.” Fury pipes up, taking the team’s focus off of the two friends. Tony frowns, the dots connecting within his mind.  
“Wait for a second, Percy is already affiliated with S.H.I.E.L.D.?” Steve asks, beating Tony to the punch. Natasha’s eyebrows jump, nearly reaching her hairline. Tony nods, rubbing his sparse beard thoughtfully.  
“I mean, it would make sense, wouldn’t it? The training in combat, how he kept escaping, all of it! Man, you guys must not have an age limit on training your spies.” Tony explains, then frowns disapprovingly towards Fury. Fury shrugs, not even having the decency to look sheepish. Percy snorts, then coughs. After only a short breath, he’s coughing again, and again, and again. Peter reaches out just in time to catch him so he doesn’t fall to the ground due to his coughing fit.  
“Banner! Give this boy some treatment, now!” Fury commands, walking towards the youngest two in the room. Banner springs into action, grabbing the abandoned gurney from the corner of the room and wheeling it over.  
“Here, set him on this. Steve, please wheel him back to the room where he was earlier.” Banner commands, in full doctor mode. Steve nods, an obedient soldier as always, and Tony helps Peter lift Percy onto the gurney. Everything happens quickly and efficiently, Fury having stepped out of the way to improve the flow of the operation. Natasha merely observes from further away, her lips pursed in thought.  
Fury holds open the door and clears the way to the room that Banner had mentioned, glaring at anyone who dared to waver for even half a second. Banner was quickly on Fury’s heels, Steve and Tony pushing the gurney not far behind them. As soon as they were in the room, Fury closed the door. Banner quickly got to work, placing an oxygen mask on Percy’s face and cutting his clothes off to see what he was dealing with.  
“Tony, I’m going to need an extra set of hands,” Banner says, not glancing up from Percy’s torso. Tony immediately goes to stand on the other side of Percy, having already stepped out of his suit. He had left it in the corner of the room, open and ready to receive his body at short notice.  
“Tell me what to do, doc,” Tony replies, glancing at the damage on Percy’s chest from his blast. He winces, guilt flooding his features, perhaps he had been rash in shooting the kid with the full force of his beam. Banner hands Tony gloves, wordlessly gesturing over the burn and handing him some cream designed to help the skin regenerate. Tony quickly puts the gloves on and opens the cream, he starts on the edges and works his way in, making sure to use the lightest touch possible. Percy groans, his chest heaving with his labored breaths. Tony grimaces, muttering quiet apologies as he works, feeling even worse. Honestly, he’s surprised to see that there was anything left of the kid’s chest, usually his beams would blast a small hole through a regular person.  
Meanwhile, Banner was addressing the half-healed gash over Percy’s abdomen. He was silently cursing himself for not analyzing the kid properly when the team had first brought him in, unconscious. What had he been thinking? No visible blood doesn’t mean that there aren’t any injuries! The first rule of being a doctor and scientist, never assume that you know what’s going on until you’ve observed and collected enough reliable data to create a logical hypothesis. He had failed at doing that and thus had failed his patient.  
Fury and Peter watch with concern in their eyes, worried for their friend. Steve watches with concern in his eyes as well, worried for this kid that he had endangered for little to no reason at all! He frowned, if the kid survived this then Steve was going to apologize. Natasha was nowhere to be found; she hadn’t followed them into the room for some unknown reason.  
‘Percy… what am I going to tell your mother if you don’t make it out of this alive? You have to survive!’ Fury thinks, his face impassive. Sally would never forgive him if her son were to die by the hands of his organization. Especially after he had promised her that he could keep Percy safe from the government and the monsters, it had been a hefty promise, but he had never doubted his ability to follow through on it… until now.


	7. Fatigue and Despair

Warning! There are some depressing themes in this chapter, mainly to do with feeling useless and helpless. Please, remember that you are NOT useless or helpless, no matter what you may think or what people may tell you. 

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Nico paces the living room of his and Hazel’s apartment, trying to think of a way to track Percy down. Where could he be? If the people chasing him had caught him, where would they take him? Who would know the answers to his questions? Nico stops and bangs his forehead on the wall, groaning in frustration. Pacing and worrying are getting him nowhere. He has to find Percy before something awful happens, he owes the man that much.   
Nico sighs and slides down the wall into a sitting position on the floor, resting the back of his head against the wall behind him. Maybe Annabeth could track him? Or a different Athena kid? But, if that were the case, then wouldn’t they have done that already? Maybe a Hephaestus kid could do something, but wouldn’t Annabeth have already thought of that? Nico groans again then huffs in annoyance. He gets up into a standing position and brushes the dust off his jeans. It looks like he would be going to Camp today after all. Not knowing anything is killing him, it’s time to get answers.  
Leo yawns, rubbing tiredly at his eyes. He has been working on this prototype for a whole month and it isn’t working! No matter how he switches out the different firing mechanisms or calibrates the systems, nothing makes a difference! He sighs loudly in frustration and leans back in his chair. He glances up at the ceiling of Bunker Nine and stares at the hanging models that he had helped restore. Life had seemed so simple when he first came to Camp, now he doesn’t have enough time for anything!  
With another longer and deeper yawn, Leo’s eyes begin to close. When was the last time he’d slept? He can’t remember. Thankfully, when you’re a demigod you don’t become manic due to lack of sleep, just really exhausted as the time goes on.   
“Leo.” Leo’s eyes fly open and he falls backward off his chair with a yelp. In an instant, he’s on his feet facing the direction the sound had come from with a flaming wrench in his right hand and a hammer in the other. The intruder hurriedly steps back, placing their hands in the air.   
“Wait! Leo, it’s just me!” Nico shouts, preparing to shadow-travel back out of the bunker. Leo blinks slowly, and Nico can almost see when the recognition dawns on Leo’s face.   
“Nico? What are you?... How?… Ugh.” Leo mutters, slumping. His adrenaline was gone, and he could feel the world beginning to spin. Not good. He teeters, his brows furrowing as he tries to figure out how to stand properly, he fails. The only thing that saved him from cracking his skull open on the hard floor was Nico’s quick reaction to Leo’s fall. Within a half-second of Leo tipping over, Nico was next to him and wrapping his arms around the slightly shorter boy’s waist.   
“Woah! Hang on, Leo, I got ya.” Nico assures, gently lowering him to the ground. Leo merely groans in return, his fatigue and exhaustion coming back ten times worse than they were before. The sudden adrenaline rush from fright had worsened his exhaustion considerably. Nico frowns, unsure of how to help his friend. He isn’t a healer; in fact, some would say he’s the opposite.   
“Alright, I’m going to bring you to the infirmary, okay?” Nico explains his plan, carefully sliding his arms under Leo’s knees and the back of his neck. Leo’s eyelids flutter, but he doesn’t respond. Nico’s frown deepens, what has Leo been doing to himself? Instead of shadow-traveling like he wanted to, Nico put good use to his training at the Roman camp and carried Leo out of the Bunker the whole way to the Big House.   
“Hey, could you please alert the Apollo kids at the infirmary that I’m bringing an injured camper?” Nico asks a passing camper who looks like they are about nine years old. The kid’s eyes widen drastically, and they hurriedly nod, then turn around and run toward the infirmary. Nico smiles at their enthusiasm but doesn’t run with Leo in his arms. For all Nico knows, there could be some injury that is causing this.   
As Nico nears the Big House, he sees an Apollo camper running out to meet him. He doesn’t recognize the camper, but he hasn’t been to camp in a little while. The girl looks like she is ten years old, and the facial expression she is wearing means business.  
“Follow me, I’ll show you where you can bring him.” The camper instructs once she is near Nico. Nico nods and she promptly pivots to face the infirmary once more, leading him to a specific area of the building. He admires her seriousness, how composed and mature she is, but he also wonders what made her that way.  
“Here, set him on this bed and then stay out of the way.” The girl once again commands. Nico sets Leo down gently upon a lone bed in the corner that she had shown him, then reluctantly backs away. He wants to stay and see if Leo will be alright. He’s not sure what had caused Leo’s sudden collapse, but he has a few guesses. He watches the young girl begin taking Leo’s vitals and writing things down on a small whiteboard, frowning now and then as she discovers new things.   
“Ah, I see you’ve met Lila, then.” A familiar voice says the owner of the voice walks into the infirmary near Nico. Nico turns with a slight smile on his face.  
“Is that her name? She’s good. A bit serious for her age, but I’m sure the same could be said for most of the campers.” Nico replies, smiling at his mentor and friend, Chiron.  
Annabeth sits at her desk in her cabin, sketching out plans and muttering to herself. There are deep, dark circles under her eyes, making her look almost dead. Her hair is roughly held back by a messy ponytail, strands making their way to fall in her face. Her left hand is holding her head up, her fingers tightened into a ball with her hair inside, while her right hand smears pencil smudges all over the plans she is hastily putting together.   
She feels miserable, she hasn’t eaten or slept in days, but she refuses to take a break from her task to do either. Even taking breaks to use the restroom makes her feel like a horrible person. Percy is gone, and she feels like it’s her fault. The last time they had spoken, two months ago, he had looked at her with such despair and it was tearing her apart.   
“Annabeth… whatever happens to me, just know that I love you, okay?” he had said like that was supposed to make her feel better somehow. She had tightened her mouth and taken a deep breath before replying.  
“Percy, nothing is going to happen, okay? I’m going to figure out a way to get them to leave you alone, then everything can go back to normal. They can’t keep chasing you for no reason, right? So, I’ll figure out what they want, and we can make them forget you. Just, don’t give up.” Annabeth snorts at the memory. How could she have been so naïve? Of course, she promised him that she would figure something out, but after all this time she had gotten nowhere. She is so useless. If only she could actually follow through on her promises, then maybe Percy would contact her again, but she hadn’t heard from him for two months and she was beginning to wonder if she would ever see or hear from him again…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there everyone! As stated toward the beginning of this fanfiction, I do not own the characters or the Marvel and Rick Riordan Presents companies. I only own the plot of this fanfiction.   
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Also, I just want to warn you all that my normal updating status of every two weeks will most likely be closer to three to four weeks since the semester has now started. This was the last chapter that I had pre-written, so hopefully, I can whip up the next one within the two-three week range. Love y'all! Stay happy!


	8. Near-death Experiences are 10/10! (As in, would NOT recommend)

Percy was falling. He was falling fast, but he couldn’t see or hear anything. He just knew that he was falling, he was in a void of sorts that seemed to be bottomless. He couldn’t tell, though, since he couldn’t see anything. He couldn’t tell if his eyes were closed or open, it didn’t seem to make a difference when he tried to do either. He couldn’t feel anything, no wind, no weight, but somehow, he knew he was falling. It was an innate sense that was gently persistent. Where was he going? Where had he come from? A strange peace seemed to settle over him, easing any worry or stress that he had. This was okay, nothing hurt and nothing bothered him. Why not just settle here, in this safety?

“_No, Percy, not yet. There is still work to be done…_” that voice, it was familiar… it reminded him of a promise…

Percy’s eyes flew open, assaulted with blinding white light, a ragged gasp escaping his lips and filling his chest painfully. He quickly snapped his eyes shut against the painful light, trying to steady his breathing.

“He’s alive! Quick, make sure he doesn’t rip out those IVs!” Percy winced against the sound of the hoarse voice. They sounded exhausted, what had happened? Where was he? Hands were gently placed on his upper arms and legs, firmly holding him still.

“Hey, kid, none of that, alright? You gotta stay still so you don’t undo the good doctor’s work, alright?” A younger man’s voice, also sounding tired but filled with a confident command. Percy settled down, not having the energy to continue to fight against his restraints.

“There you go, that’s much better. I’m going to let go, so just lay still.” Sure enough, the hands were slowly lifted, but Percy stayed how he was. Breathing was an interesting chore, his chest felt like it was on fire, but the feeling was slowly easing as he continued to breathe deeply. He carefully began to move his fingers and his hands, running an internal check to see where he was injured and functional. He flinched upon realizing that his whole body was at least bruised if not torn open. He took another deep breath and slowly opened his eyes. The light was still far too bright, but at least he was prepared for it this time.

“Oh thank the gods, I swear, Jackson, if I had to call your mom I was going to go to the Underworld simply to give you an earful and drag you back up here.” Percy smirked slightly at the familiar voice.

“Uncle Hades would never let you past the ferry, Nick, you know that. He’s been vouching for me for a long time.” Percy replied, his voice all crackly and, frankly, worse than the first voice he had heard since being revived. He coughed, the movement bringing the full force of the raging fire back to his chest. He grit his teeth and shut his eyes firmly at the pain, his eyes watering and chest seizing. Quickly, a straw was pressed to his mouth and he sipped gratefully at the water. After he had managed to catch his breath, he leaned back into the pillows behind his head.

“Not funny, nope, not a bit funny. Don’t scare me like that again.” Nick demanded; his voice hard but his eyes watering at the thought of Percy dying. Percy smiled softly at his friend, being careful to breathe gently so he wouldn’t aggravate his battered body again.

“Don’t worry, Nick, I’m not going anywhere. Although, I’m not going to lie to you, I was almost there.” Percy explained softly, his voice sounded better after receiving some water.

“I could really use a good dip in the ocean about now, pretty sure dad will be worried when he sees how I am.” he continued, carefully maneuvering himself into a better sitting position. Nick let out an exasperated breath, shaking his head slightly. While he knew that Percy was right, he didn’t really want Poseidon to see him when he was like this. Nick had been given a responsibility to protect Percy as long as he was part of Nick’s team, but Nick had failed that responsibility and had almost gotten Percy killed in the process. He needed Percy, he couldn’t let the gods take him away just yet.

“Unfortunately, that won’t be possible for at least two days, we need to stop and fuel the Heli-carrier before we can go anywhere else. In the meantime, we can provide you with the next best thing.” Nick explained, a thick mask of professionalism and indifference sliding into place with little effort. Percy merely raised his eyebrow at Nick, then sighed and nodded.

“Very well, then. Dad will have to wait.” Percy whispered, settling back into the pillows in a more comfortable position. Hopefully, Annabeth wouldn’t be too upset with him when he found the time to contact her.

Bruce and the rest of the team had stepped out when Percy had calmed himself enough to talk civilly with Fury. Bruce let out a bone-deep weary sigh and slumped against the wall. How was this his life now? He really missed the days when he would travel between small countries and helping the people around him, but now he was constantly trying to help people while also not being killed in the process! He shook his head, attempting to dispel his thoughts. The last thing he or anyone else needed right now was for the Other Guy to make an appearance. Wouldn’t that just be the icing on the cake? He let out another heavy sigh, slowly sinking down to the floor, he just wished he could go back to the way things used to be.

Across the hall from Bruce, Steve and Tony were standing side-by-side and leaning against the wall. Steve was overwhelmed with guilt, after the kid had realized he wasn’t in danger, he had actually been pretty nice. Albeit a little more on the sarcastic side, but Steve couldn’t blame him since he had woken up in a metal tube after being attacked. Steve winced, there really were better ways that could’ve gone. He puffed out an overwhelmed breath and set his shoulders firmly. He would make sure that this kid was treated right from here on out, he owed it to him. He nodded resolutely at that thought, thankfully it shouldn’t be too hard to follow through on that promise since Fury seemed concerned for the kid’s well-being also.

Tony chewed on his lip as he thought about what had happened in only the past couple hours. First, they captured the kid. Then, the kid woke up and nearly catapulted himself off the Heli-carrier. After that, he passed out and reached critical levels, prompting Dr. Banner to perform some scans to figure out what was going on. During the full body scan, the kid woke up again and went completely berserk! They had their little battle thing, Tony made the mistake of shooting him with a concentrated beam, and the kid nearly died. Tony scrubbed his hands over his face. _He had nearly killed a kid, dangit_! Tony took his hands away from his face and blinked back the tears that were trying to escape his eyes, looking away from Steve and the door that lead to his biggest mistake. _Nope, nope... not going down that train of thought, Tony. Don’t do it, you know that it won’t help anything._ Tony reprimanded himself, bringing his focus back to what was important at the moment. The kid was, miraculously, still alive. He would have to recalibrate his blasters to make sure an error wouldn’t occur on the battlefield. Thankfully, it appeared that there was an error, which was why the kid wasn’t dead with a gaping hole in his abdomen. At least, that’s what Tony was assuming. There had to have been an error… right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello faithful readers! My sincerest apologies for this VERY late update. Hopefully, as the school semester ends I will be able to update on a regular schedule, but that does not seem plausible at this point in time. That being said, I will try to keep my absences short and to a minimum. Thank you for sticking with me and I hope that you and your families are all healthy and happy!


	9. Of Concern and Ego

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again everyone! I am so sorry for my absence, school became very stressful at the end due to the current events, but I just graduated and I am trying to get back on track with my regular updating schedule! This chapter is a little shorter than the ones before it and kind of works as a filler, but the next one should be much better!

Hazel bit her lip nervously as she drove to Camp Jupiter from the apartment that she shared with Nico. Was it right for her to tell Nico that Percy was missing? She knew that he would want to know, but the way he had reacted was concerning. He had come so far from when he was younger, she and all his friends had worked with him on recovering from his PTSD and anxiety, along with his other mental and physical illnesses. Would this cause a relapse? She couldn’t shake the worry no matter how much she reassured herself. Perhaps she should call their friends and let them know what had happened. She paused in her thought process, would that upset Nico as well? She groaned aloud, nearly biting through her lip. _Whatever, it’s important that they know so they can help him if he needs them to. This way they are prepared to offer the best type of assistance they can instead of going in blind. I’ll IM them as soon as I get to Camp._ She decided, hopefully, this was the right choice.

She quickly turned off the main road to the service road leading to Camp Jupiter, stopping under the bridge and giving her keys to one of the older guards on duty. They would bring it to the parking lot on the other side of Camp for her. This was something they had implemented after the two Camps had been connected, to make it easier for people who lived closer to Camp Jupiter to travel to Camp Half-Blood. Hazel smiled warmly at the nervous guard, she wondered if they were new.

“Don’t worry, I’m not too attached to the outward beauty of the car. As long as it doesn’t get too badly damaged, you’re alright!” She assured the guard, widening her smile to cover her face. They nodded, a small smile breaking out on their face as well. Hazel nodded back and turned to face the entrance of Camp Jupiter with a small wave in the guard’s direction. The younger guard stared at Hazel with a look close to awe on their face, definitely new. Hazel smiled warmly at them as well before entering the Camp. Today would be a good day, she could already tell. Everything would be alright; Nico knew what was going on and he’d make sure to take care of it as only he could. Her smile widened, her brother had always been resourceful and fiercely protective when it came to the ones he loved. Hopefully, it wouldn’t break him again…

Frank groaned, gently thumping his head on his desk in frustration. As Praetor, it was up to him to make sure that things were running smoothly not only in Camp Jupiter but also with the communications between the camps. He thought that the latter was going to be the biggest issue, but he was wrong. _How did Reyna and Jason DO this?_ Frank groaned again, tempted to call his friends to consult them, and receive advice on how to handle his largest issue at the moment. The campers in the Fifth Cohort (no longer the bottom rung of the ladder as they once were) had gotten it into their heads that they were better than the rest of the Cohorts. Somehow, it seemed like they had forgotten they were once the ones on the bottom and were now treating everyone else like they were unimportant.

Frank sighed and turned his head slightly to look at the clock in his office. When he saw what time it was, he instantly jumped up out of his chair and began trying to quickly tidy up his office. _Crap! I didn’t realize it was already this late. Hopefully, I can get everything cleaned up in time!_ He whirled around the office, picking up loose papers and trash, doing his best to move quickly yet still be efficient. After under five minutes of this frantic bustling, he was satisfied with his work. He sat back down in his chair and made sure his toga and ceremonial garb were properly settled on his frame before finally relaxing back into the chair once more. He barely had a minute to slouch before he heard knocking on the door to his office. He straightened up and called for the person who knocked to enter. Frank straightened a pile of papers on his desk then looked up imploringly at the doorway. His breath was immediately taken away as he was met by the smile of his girlfriend and co-Praetor, Hazel.

“Hazel... it’s, um, it’s good to see you again!” Frank stuttered out, having stared with a goofy look on his face for just a moment too long for it to be ignored. Hazel’s smile widened and she strode further into the office, letting the door close behind her as she shyly approached Frank at his desk.

“Frank, how was your weekend?” She murmured, reaching out to hug her boyfriend. She had missed him terribly, as she always did when she was away for the weekend. Frank stood and gladly accepted the affectionate gesture, dwarfing his girlfriend with his height and bulk. He pulled her close, gently but firmly holding her to his chest.

“It was alright, although I think we may have an issue with the Fifth Cohort… it appears that they think they are high and mighty, not to be bothered by anyone else.” Frank explains quietly, not wanting to break the comfortable atmosphere but too frustrated by the issue to hold back his concerns from Hazel. Hazel sighed, squeezing Frank a little tighter before stepping out of his embrace to think about what he had said.

“Well, that definitely sounds… unpleasant.” She mused, her brows drawn down in concentration as she bit her lip. Frank nodded, frowning a little at the loss of contact from Hazel. He had missed her too much to have such a short hug as a greeting, but he knew that their duties as Praetors came first over their personal desires. They had a whole Camp full of people and families to look out for, after all. Frank sighed, leaning back against his desk to seat himself on its edge. Hazel followed his example and leaned on his desk right next to him, their shoulders brushing lightly. Frank smiled slightly at the contact, looking down to watch Hazel’s face as she thought about their problem. Everything would be alright; Hazel had always been good at thinking through problems and finding solutions to them. Frank wouldn’t have to worry so much now that she was back by his side to help him, he knew that she could figure this out.


	10. Exhaustion Does Not Fuel the Brain

Annabeth was worried. Logically, she knew that Percy could take care of himself, but he had also been pretty good about contacting her on a regular basis. This sudden radio silence was not comforting, and she was trying really hard not to panic but this was too similar to that one time… Annabeth grit her teeth. If that good-for-nothing piece of schist _Hera_ had anything to do with Percy’s sudden silence Annabeth was going to commit **murder**, and she knew quite a few people who would help her with that task. Her sleep deprivation wasn’t helping to clear her thoughts, but she couldn’t close her eyes for long without seeing Percy in gruesome scenarios. The one that was most common, for some reason, was him hooked up to tubes and monitors on a hospital bed, unconscious. Annabeth shuddered at the thought, willing the mental image away. She didn’t have time to dwell on her horrific visions, she had to hurry and figure out how to track Percy.

Annabeth nodded to herself, her mouth and jaw set in firm angles, she could save Percy. In fact, she may be the only one who could save Percy. She blew a piece of hair out of her face that had escaped her messy ponytail that she had thrown up frustratedly about an hour ago. Pushing aside the papers she had been pouring over for the past four hours, Annabeth grabbed a small piece of notebook paper that had caught her eye. After reading what had been scribbled on there, faded slightly from years of being in the sun, her eyes widened, and her mouth fell open. This was it, this was her chance. She gripped the paper tightly and stood quickly, knocking her chair down in the process, but she wasn’t there to hear it fall as she was already out the door of her cabin.

Nico yawned, walking along the path that cut through the camp to get to the Hades cabin. He hadn’t stayed there in a while, it was probably around three years ago was the last time he had stayed longer than a few hours at camp. However, with Percy being gone (_again_, gods dam it), he wanted to stay nearby in case he was needed. He had a unique skill set (mainly, his shadow travel and ability to summon a skeletal army) that could come in handy, especially since the Camp’s leader and celebrated hero had disappeared. Nico snorted, he would have offered to help run the camp, but something gave him the feeling that the campers would not appreciate that very much, no matter what Chiron said about the Camp being more accepting of the different types of people and their parentage. Nico had come to accept a very long time ago that he would almost definitely not be treated like his fellow cousins, and he had made peace with that. He had carved out a place for himself in the hearts of a select few who truly knew him and didn’t act differently around him.

Nico yawned again, walking up the two steps leading to the porch of his cabin. He stopped there briefly as he was hit with a sense of nostalgia. He smiled slightly as he remembered the day he had brought Hazel here for the first time. It had been the first time since Bianca that he had been able to share his living space with someone he called family. He refused to admit it at the time, but it was a surprisingly healing experience for him, it had been a small step in the right direction for his grieving process. Nico took a deep breath, tears pricking his eyes at that particular thought. He had been so bitter, so unforgiving, and furious toward everything and everyone. That had been a really difficult time for him, and he didn’t know what he would do if he were still like that. 

Shaking his head, Nico shoved those thoughts down deep, choosing not to dwell on them. Taking another settling breath, he opened the door to the cabin and walked inside, allowing the door to close softly behind him. He briefly glanced around at everything, grateful to Calypso’s wind spirits for keeping the place tidy and dust-free. Nico, along with many campers, had a strong aversion to dust. He supposed it was probably due to the dusting effect that monsters gave off when they were killed, especially for the war veterans like himself. One of his most prominent memories from the wars was the sheer amount of gold dust that glittered on the ground like sand.

Nico yawned again and walked over to the bathroom to take a quick shower before he went back out to the infirmary to check on Leo. He and Chiron had spent an hour catching up with each other before Chiron had to attend to some camp director duties. Nico stretched and started the shower water on a lukewarm setting. He had never preferred the hot showers that Hazel seemed to enjoy so much, leaving the bathroom steamed up after every shower she took. He smirked at the thought, it probably had to do with being Roman since they seemed to like their steamy baths. Chuckling softly, Nico continued with his preparation for his shower, checking the temperature and finding it to be perfect. He stepped in, sighing contentedly at the pressure of the water, so much better than his apartment.

**(A/N: Lila is an OC made up purely for this story, I have not made any sort of physical descriptions for her at this time, so feel free to drop any ideas you may have in the comments and I will consider them for future chapters when/if she makes another appearance. Thank you!)**

At the infirmary, Lila was hurrying around between patients. She was stretched thin today since everyone seemed to decide that it was the perfect day to all collectively get injured. She scowled, grabbing more of the special demigod-grade burn cream from the medicine cabinet. She mentally noted that they were getting low and to ask the Hecate cabin to whip up some more within the next few days, then briskly walked back toward an Iris camper that had gotten on the wrong side of the climbing wall. Lila was seriously considering letting Chiron know just how she felt about that climbing wall since she was the one who always had to patch up the kids who weren’t careful enough to avoid injury.

After treating the Iris camper for their burns, Lila placed the remaining cream back in the medicine cabinet so she wouldn’t lose track of her supplies. When she heard the bell on the door jingle, she had half a mind to bash her skull against the wall so she could avoid the added stress of another patient. She grit her teeth and took a deep breath, rearranging her facial features into something that didn’t scream ‘I’ll kill you’ before marching over to the door. 

“If you’re not currently unable to function without treatment, please come back later, I don’t have the time to be dealing with trivi- oh!” Lila got out, before cutting herself short. Her eyes went wide, and a gentle smile formed on her lips, her eyes softening a great degree. The person who entered, a young woman with soft, caramel almond-shaped eyes and gorgeous chestnut hair, looked a little startled by Lila’s greeting.

“I’m so sorry, Lady Calypso, I didn’t mean any offense! I’ve been very busy and thought you were another camper who had injured themselves.” Lila placated, ducking her head a little in shame.

“That’s alright, I just came to see how Leo was doing… my wind servants told me the Ghost King brought him in, is that correct?” Calypso asked, smiling softly at Lila to assure her that she was not upset. Lila nodded, lifting her gaze and tilting her head to show Calypso where to go.

“He was still unconscious when I checked on him a few minutes ago, but his bed is this way,” Lila explained, turning to lead Calypso to her boyfriend. Calypso hummed thoughtfully, then promptly followed Lila to Leo’s bed in the infirmary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again everyone! Here is the latest installment to this book! I promise the next chapter will be more exciting, I had to get some plot work out of the way in order to develop the story. If you are enjoying this story please leave kudos and/or a comment! Feel free to make any suggestions as long as they are respectful to everyone and do not contain foul language, thank you! Stay safe, happy, and healthy!


	11. Reminiscing and Troubles Galore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's finally back!! That's right, this work isn't dead yet! I haven't forgotten about you guys, just had a long list of other priorities to tackle before this one. This chapter is hopefully going to help clarify some things and tie up some of the many loose ends from earlier in the book. SO! That all being said, buckle up and prepare for some history!

To say that Nick was enraged would be an understatement. Just when he thought he could ease up on the reins with the Avengers Initiative again, they had to go and prove him wrong. He mentally groaned, he was not looking forward to either of the council meetings he had to attend this month. He walked down the halls of the Heli-carrier, keeping a blank look on his face while still being on high alert. He had told Dr. Banner to call for him once Percy wakes up again, but the doctor didn’t seem so sure that Percy would be waking up soon. If only Nick still had that stash of nectar and ambrosia, sadly he had used it up after the last assassination attempt—even with the extra help, he had barely survived.

When Nick agreed to this covert mission from the Olympian Council back when he was a young man, he hadn’t realized just how much like his father he was going to become. Hermes was always working on about a hundred different things at once, keeping everything straight and running around like his pants were on fire. Thankfully, Nick hadn’t inherited the godly craziness trait, just the unique abilities that helped him survive in the spy world. If it weren’t for the way he had performed in the war, he’s not sure that the gods would have picked him, but apparently, his performance was just what they were looking for.

Nick discreetly made sure the hall was empty before entering a side room, closing and locking the door behind him. He knew that he was taking a huge risk by doing this, but he also knew that if he didn’t then he would most likely end up getting attacked and ousted. He smirked at the thought, early retirement didn’t sound so bad. Just as he had turned on a spray of water and fished a bronze-colored coin out of his pocket, there was a loud bang from deep within the ship. He frowned and shoved the coin back into his pocket while turning the water off, what was going on now?

Peter Parker, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, at least, that’s who he was to New York and, more recently, the world. After joining up with Iron Man during the Civil War, he had earned his place on the big screen with the other heroes. However, he is more of a background character, operating mainly out of New York still except for the odd job here and there as Mr. Stark sees fit. That being said, why is Peter here now? The short answer: Mr. Stark called him. The long answer: Mr. Stark had called him during school and had him almost immediately shipped out to the heli-carrier within 3 hours of the original call. Peter hadn’t known what was going on at the time, but he soon found out.

Peter Parker and Percy Jackson have been friends for a long time. When Peter’s Uncle Ben had died, and Percy’s step-dad Gabe had proved his filthiness, Sally and May had joined a single mom’s group for help. Sally and May had hit it off within the first hour of the meeting and had collectively decided they could rely on each other for help. So, when May had to work longer hours, Peter would stay with Sally and Percy. Thankfully, Gabe tended to spend his nights out on the town and Peter never really saw him. When things got worse at home for Percy and Sally, Percy would stay with Peter and Aunt May for a night or two. Over time, the boys became pretty close friends. Even though they didn’t live very close to each other (Peter in Queens and Percy in Manhattan) they were able to keep up a relatively steady contact even after Gabe had ‘disappeared’.

Over the years that Peter got to know Percy, Peter learned that Percy was strong, brave, and very smart. He also learned that Sally was exactly like Percy except for smarter and more patient. When Percy and Sally disappeared when Percy was 13, Peter was ready to kill Gabe. Thankfully, Sally showed up again and quickly assured Peter (through lots of tears and tight hugs) that Percy would be just fine. From that day forward, Peter has been repeating that mantra in his head. Percy will be just fine. Percy is strong, Percy is brave, and he will be just fine.

Bruce Banner knows, logically, that Percy should have died hours ago. However, Banner also knows that not everything in SHIELD is as it seems. When Percy didn’t die and has continued to live, Bruce chalked it up to another one of those secrets that Nick Fury held. At this point, Bruce wouldn’t be too terribly surprised if that man knows how to access alternate dimensions and just had chosen to keep the information to himself. That being said, when it comes to the survival of one of Bruce’s patients, Bruce likes to have as much knowledge as possible. Of course, after verifying that Percy will be fine, Fury’s lips were sealed against all other questions relating to the boy.

Bruce sighs and gently knocks the back of his head against the wall behind him. He knows that trying to force information out of the man is pointless, but he still wants to try. Banner’s eyes begin to slip closed, surely someone will wake him if something happens to Percy, so it should be fine to take a short rest. Just as Bruce is about to settle into some much needed deep sleep, the carrier shakes with a loud banging noise and begins to list to one side.

Steve shoots up to a standing position from where he was sitting, Tony not far behind him. He turns to Tony, all serious now.

“What was that?” Steve asks, steadying himself with a hand against the wall.

“I’m checking right now, give me a second,” Tony responds, tinkering with his glasses.

“Portside, engine failure. Looks similar to that time with Loki, want to see if we can fix it again? The suit is faster now so it shouldn’t be an issue this time… hopefully.” Tony rattles off, already calling for the pieces of his suit and leading Steve to the affected area.

“Guess I don’t have much choice in the matter, now do I?” Steve mutters, already preparing himself to face the myriad of emotions he’s sure he will be feeling.

“Not really. Lighten up, Cap, we’ve done this before, so we can do it again.” Tony calls back, somehow a full five paces ahead of Steve. Steve just grunts and picks up his pace to address the issue with Tony, hoping and praying that this will not be like last time.


End file.
